Career Assessment for Women: Trends and Issues

Abstract

This article considers ways in which gender and gender-related concerns may be competently assessed within career counseling. Central to this analysis is the need for a gender-aware perspective on career development and career assessment. Gender issues that arise within broad approaches to career assessment, that is, the interview, standardized tests and inventories, and behavioral, cognitive, and qualitative assessment methods, are reviewed and recommendations for gender-sensitive strategies offered. Selected career assessment measures are then evaluated for their promise in assisting the career counselor in adequately assessing career issues with female clients. The article ends with an overview of gender-role analysis and other assessment methods designed specifically to assess gender-role concerns.